Sokei-an facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sokei-an Sasaki
Religion	Zen Buddhism
School	Rinzai
Education	Imperial Academy of Art (Tokyo) California Institute of Art
Personal
Born	Yeita Sasaki March 10, 1882 Japan
Died	May 17, 1945 (age 63)
Spouse	Tomé Sasaki Ruth Fuller Sasaki
Children	Shintaro Seiko Shioko
Senior posting
Based in	Buddhist Society of America
Title	Roshi
Predecessor	Sokatsu Shaku
Successor	None
Religious career
Teacher	Sokatsu Shaku Soyen Shaku
Students	Alan Watts
Website	www.firstzen.org/

Sokei-an Shigetsu Sasaki (born Yeita Sasaki) was a Japanese Rinzai monk. He started the Buddhist Society of America in New York City in 1930. This group is now known as the First Zen Institute of America. Sokei-an was one of the first Japanese Zen masters to live and teach in the United States. He helped Zen Buddhism grow in America. He married Ruth Fuller Everett in 1944. Sokei-an passed away in May 1945. He did not have a student to take over his teachings. One of his well-known students was Alan Watts, who studied with him for a short time.

Sokei-an's Early Life and Studies

Sokei-an was born in Japan in 1882. His birth name was Yeita Sasaki. His father was a Shinto priest. His birth mother was not his father's wife. From age four, his father taught him Chinese. Soon, he was reading important Confucian texts.

When he was fifteen, his father died. Sokei-an then became a sculptor's apprentice. He studied under Koun Takamura at the Imperial Academy of Art in Tokyo. While at school, he began studying Rinzai Zen. His teacher was Sokatsu Shaku. Sokei-an graduated from the academy in 1905.

Military Service and First Marriage

After graduating, he joined the Imperial Japanese Army. He served briefly during the Russo-Japanese War. The war ended in 1906, and he was discharged. Soon after, he married his first wife, Tomé. She was also a student of Sokatsu.

That same year, Sokei-an and Tomé went to San Francisco, California. They were part of a group of fourteen people. They hoped to start a Zen community there. They tried farming strawberries in Hayward, California, but it was not successful. Sokei-an then studied painting. He met Nyogen Senzaki at the California Institute of Art. By 1910, the Zen community had failed. Everyone except Sokei-an returned to Japan.

Moving to America and Return to Japan

Sokei-an moved to Oregon for a short time. His wife and first child, Shintaro, joined him later in Seattle, Washington. Their second child, Seiko, was born there. In Seattle, Sokei-an made picture frames. He also wrote articles for Japanese newspapers. His wife returned to Japan in 1913 to raise their children.

Over the next few years, he worked many different jobs. In 1916, he moved to Greenwich Village in Manhattan, New York. He worked as a janitor and a translator. He also began writing poetry. In 1920, he went back to Japan. He continued his koan studies with Sokatsu.

Establishing Zen in New York

In 1922, Sokei-an returned to the United States. By 1924 or 1925, he started giving talks on Buddhism in New York City. He had received permission to teach from Sokatsu. In 1928, he received the "final seal" of approval in the Rinzai school from Sokatsu. This meant he was a fully recognized Zen master.

Founding the Buddhist Society of America

On May 11, 1930, Sokei-an and some American students started the Buddhist Society of America. It was officially recognized in 1931. He gave private interviews and public talks there. He also worked on translating important Buddhist texts. He earned money by sculpting Buddhist images. He also repaired art for Tiffany's.

Later Life and Marriage

In 1938, Ruth Fuller Everett began studying with him. She later became his wife. Her daughter, Eleanor, was married to Alan Watts. Alan Watts also studied with Sokei-an that year. In 1941, Ruth bought an apartment in New York City. This apartment became Sokei-an's home and the new location for the Buddhist Society of America.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Sokei-an was arrested. He was held as an "enemy alien" because he was Japanese. He was first taken to Ellis Island. Then, he was moved to a camp in Fort Meade, Maryland in 1942. He had health problems there, including high blood pressure. He was released in 1943 after his students asked for his freedom. He returned to New York City.

In 1944, he divorced his first wife. They had been separated for many years. Soon after, on July 10, 1944, Sokei-an married Ruth Fuller Sasaki. Sokei-an passed away on May 17, 1945, after years of poor health. His ashes are buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, New York. After his death, the Buddhist Society of America changed its name. It became the First Zen Institute of America.

How Sokei-an Taught Zen

Sokei-an mainly taught Zen Buddhism through sanzen. This was a private meeting where the teacher gave the student a koan. A koan is like a riddle or a question to help students understand Zen. His public talks were called teisho.

Sokei-an did not teach zazen (sitting meditation) or hold sesshins (group meditation retreats). He focused mostly on koans and sanzen. He followed the Hakuin system of teaching.

Mary Farkas, one of his students, said that Sokei-an did not want to copy Japanese Zen monasteries. These places had very strict training. They aimed to make people "forget self." In these places, everyone acted the same. Sokei-an wanted a different approach for his students.

What People Said About Sokei-an

Dwight Goddard, who wrote "A Buddhist Bible," described Sokei-an as a "blunt 'old school' of Zen masters." Writer Robert Lopez said Sokei-an taught Zen in English. But he also shared the true meaning of Buddha's teachings just by being himself. He did this in silence and with a special calm.

Alan Watts felt that Sokei-an connected spiritual ideas with everyday life. He said Sokei-an was funny and down-to-earth, as well as spiritually aware. Watts wrote that Sokei-an would sometimes say Zen means life is just nonsense. But the trick was to enjoy the nonsense.

Zen master Dae Gak said Sokei-an understood Western culture well. This helped him connect Zen from the East to the West. He could explain wisdom in a way that helped everyone.

Notable Students

• Alan Watts (He left after two weeks, finding the koan work difficult.)
• Mary Farkas
• Ruth Fuller Sasaki
• Samuel L. Lewis